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Canada Considers Blacklisting Muslim Brotherhood

April 11, 2014

The Canadian government is considering blacklisting the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group, Shalom Toronto reports Friday, after a petition submitted by conservative MPs in Ontario province's Mississauga and Streetsville reached the House of Commons earlier this month.

Egypt began an intense crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood in July, after the ouster of former leader Mohammed Morsi. More than 1,400 people have died in street clashes, and thousands have been imprisoned, in the crackdown on Morsi's supporters following his overthrow.

In Canada, the debate over blacklisting the group could have large-scale political consequences, due to the high prominence of at least one Brotherhood-associated group. According to The Global Muslim Brotherhood Daily Watch, a watchdog intelligence site on the terrorist group, the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) has ties to several prominent Muslim organizations in Canada – and has publicly announced its ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Canada has also blacklisted Hamas, which has been linked repeatedly with the Brotherhood over the past several months. The Gaza-based terror organization is described by the Canadian Ministry of Public Security Organization as "an Islamist terrorist group, a radical Palestinian national branch of the Muslim Brotherhood."

Egypt recently extended its own crackdown to Hamas, which the military government has labelled as a Muslim Brotherhood offshoot which controls Gaza, classifying it as a security threat to Egypt.

The Egyptian government has been shutting down Hamas tunnels which lead from the Sinai into Gaza. Hamas uses these tunnels to transfer goods, weapons and even terrorists.

Egypt has also blamed Hamas of being involved in teaching Islamists in Egypt how to carry out attacks. Hamas has denied the allegations.